Announcing: Railfan Fest 2021!

Edited April 1st 2021 Join us for our first ever Railfan Festival using the 'Register' button at the top of the screen. Special offers from our partners will be made available to those that register after the event.

You can also view the event over on Facebook by clicking here.

We Are Railfans are thrilled to announce the launch of Railfan Fest 2021 on April 10th & 11th. This joint, virtual event with the team at Train Simulator will bring together a number of different areas of the railfan scene to one place in the form of exclusive features, behind the scenes views and interviews with organisations and people on both sides of the Atlantic.

From the start, We Are Railfans has been all about the wider railway community and this event serves as a means to celebrate important names and brands across the world, whilst bringing their content to an international audience, some of whom are unable to enjoy railways and railroads in their own country because of the global pandemic. The online, virtual Railfan Festival marks the start of a new collaboration between railfans, modelers, industry workers and businesses alike with the hope of organising a physical celebration of rail at some point in the future.

We can now reveal our line-up for both days of the event!

Attendees can view the event by signing up through the website and keeping up to date with announcements of the schedule via Facebook and social media.

The event will take place across a number of social media platforms between midday and 6pm EST (5pm and 11pm BST).

This year's event will see participation from leaders within the rail industry including Amtrak, the national rail operator in the USA, connecting America in safer, greener and healthier ways. For 50 years, Amtrak has connected America and transformed transportation by modernizing train travel, and building for the future. A true institution of the American railroads, Amtrak will be talking about their 50th Anniversary plans alongside a Q&A opportunity. Amtrak's Surfliner service waits at San Diego Station. Photo by Gary Dolzall.

Attendees will also be able to look forward to finding out more about London Transport Museum, the world's leading museum of urban transport. This historic institution will be leading a live presentation alongside a 10-minute preview of one of their Hidden London virtual tours, making it the first time a global audience would have access to this very popular show.
Brompton Road Underground Station c.1907. © TfL 2001 55802.

Also included among the dignitary partners is Hornby. Hornby is a household name and is famous as the UK brand leader in the model railway hobby. The company’s founder was Frank Hornby (1863 - 1936) who applied for a patent in 1901 to protect an invention he called ‘Improvements in Toy or Educational Devices for Children and Young People’. Nobody then could have imagined how this product would influence the model railway hobby that we know today. After 100 years of producing model railway products Hornby is more than just a hobby… it’s a lifetime’s journey!

YouTubers DJsTrains and Chris Eden-Green will also be in attendance. DJ, a CSX engineer and keen modeler will take viewers through the railroad landscape via drone and relating that to prospective modelers ready to start a layout and Chris will be showcasing a superb documentary on the LBSCR Terriers in partnership with the Kent & East Sussex Railway. Both have also included short Q&As.

The event will also have features from OBB, Friends of Black Prince, NJ Transit, Revolution Trains (N-gauge specialists), Tom Connell (Rail artist) and more.

Register